The Olympics are approaching swiftly, and with them the February 4th trade freeze. Pundits tell us some teams have set this as their preferred deadline in advance of the season’s actual trade deadline in March.
The Montreal Canadiens could get in on that.
In recent weeks, specific aspects of the defense group have been clarified. Mike Matheson and Noah Dobson are a solidified pair. Lane Hutson is the clear third player in the Big Three for the Habs. That much is sorted.
Alexandre Carrier plays well alongside Hutson, but this is not a duo built for the playoffs. Carrier was brutalized by Washington last year, and is probably better suited on a third pair with a big man. Lately, that big man has been Kaiden Guhle, and it works.
At the start of the season, the hope was that Guhle and Hutson would form a pair. But as is custom, Guhle was injured early and the Habs were in musical chair mode again. During that time it became abundantly obvious that Hutson shifts gears from star to elite when he’s played on his strong side.
The Habs have to find a better partner for Hutson. That player will have some size and physicality, be strong in his own end, and also have enough offensive smarts to play with Hutson. He will need to be a right shot to allow Hutson to play on his strong side.
Here are some options.
Colton Parayko
Parayko is a big and bruising blue-liner who plays a strong defensive game while also contributing offensively. His big shot might find some use alongside Hudson’s playmaking. With the Blues selling and everyone on the table, a package built around Guhle might be enough to land the Olympian with the Stanley Cup ring. There is a 15-team no-trade list to consider.
The concern about Parayko is his age and contract. He’s 32 years old and has four years beyond this one at a $6.5M cap hit. I would argue that might be the perfect fit. It allows David Reinbacher time to grow and replace Carrier, and then grow some more at the NHL level to replace Parayko.
Braden Schneider
Schneider, a big and mobile two-way defenseman, leans more toward the defensive side of the game. He’s physical and knows how to use his size. Some have described Schneider as Guhle with a right shot.
At 24, Schneider has 337 NHL games under his belt. Compare that to Guhle, who was drafted three spots earlier, and has played just 180 NHL games. Schneider is in the second year of a two year contract, has a $2.2M cap hit, and is a pending restricted free agent.
The glitch with Schneider is that the Rangers are believed to be reticent to trade with Montreal, based on Jeff Gordon’s previous role in New York.
This concern can be eliminated with one word: overpay. Hughes has said they are ready, willing and able to overpay for the right player. Surely, Drury is not dumb enough to decline the overpay, should the Habs be motivated to go there.
Zach Whitecloud
Whitecloud is a big and mobile stay at home defender who can shut down top opposing players. He’s also a player that can be deployed with an offensive talent to be the defensive conscience of the pair. His Stanley Cup experience is also an asset.
Calgary acquired Whitecloud from Vegas in the Andersson trade, along with two picks and a prospect. It’s unclear how attached the Flames are to this asset, but if they were open to dealing him he would cost less than Parayko or Schneider.
Whitecloud will turn 30 in March and is in the fourth year of a six-year contract that carries a cap hit of $2.75M. And therein lies the question around this target. Is he good enough to play with Hutson?
Internal options
If HuGo can’t find a suitable trade partner, or if they want to stay the course and wait for Reinbacher to be ready, there are internal options.
The obvious option is a pair of Hutson and Dobson. Matheson or Guhle could be paired with Carrier, and the other with Xhekaj or Struble or an acquired depth option like Luke Schenn. It’s not perfect, but it may be good enough while the Habs are still building the team.
Whatever path the Canadiens take, there is a pressing need to keep Hutson on his strong side. As Marc Dumont said in his post, the Habs can’t continue to “handicap” their best player.
Hab At Her 